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Pakistan and England women’s teams observe silence ahead of World Cup match as player struck by personal tragedy
Shawaal Zulfiqar’s father passed away in Sialkot on Tuesday as she was in Colombo with the Pakistan team for the World Cup.
England and Pakistan players came together to observe a moment of silence, honouring the memory of Shawaal Zulfiqar’s father ahead of their Women's World Cup ODI match in Colombo. The gesture reflected deep respect and solidarity, as both teams paused ahead of the match to pay tribute to the Pakistan squad member’s loss. The 20-year-old's father passed away in Sialkot on Tuesday as she was in Colombo with the Pakistan team for the World Cup.
The ICC shared a post on social media with a couple of photos where the players were observing silence for Shawaal's father and captioned it, “Both teams observed a moment of silence to pay their respects following the passing of the father of Pakistan's #CWC25 squad member Shawaal Zulfiqar.”
Pakistan opt to bowl first vs England
Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to field first in the quest to open their account on the points table. She also explained the reason behind it, citing a spin-friendly pitch and confidence in the team’s bowlers while stressing the need for stronger batting partnerships and sharper finishing in key moments.
"We are going to bowl first because the pitch looks good and hopefully it will be advantageous for the spinners. I think there is a lot of spin on this track, and our spinners are good. We have two changes. We need to improve on the batting side, we need to bat longer and have partnerships in bowling and batting. Yeah, definitely, we need to finish off the innings when the opposition is 76 for 7, so we need to be better there," Sana added.
Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected on squad changes due to illness, welcoming Sarah Glenn and Em into the lineup. She emphasised the importance of giving every player game time while maintaining focus on her own batting approach.
"I would have bowled as well. We have got two missing out unwell - Ecclestone and Bell are out, Sarah Glenn and Em are in. Illness in the camp, obviously not good for those individuals, but it is a chance for others down the line to get some overs under their belt. In a tournament like this, you are going to need every one of your squad members, so it is a great chance for Sarah and Em to come into the game and hopefully make an impact. I try and start in the same place every time when I go out to bat, try and start from the beginning again and assess the conditions as best I can and go from there. But yeah, hopefully I can continue doing what I am doing," she said.
